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Algeria

• Sentence Upheld for Pastor Youssef Ourahmane

  

  Pastor Youssef Ourahmane is a senior pastor and vice president of the Église Protestante d'Algérie (EPA). In March 2023, he was charged with organizing an unauthorized religious assembly and sentenced to two years in prison, along with a fine of 100,000 dinars (approximately $1,000 CAD). Following an appeal of the verdict, the pastor's conviction was upheld, but his sentence was reduced to one year in prison.

• Appeal Scheduled for Pastor Youssef Ourahmane

  

  Pastor Youssef Ourahmane serves as the vice president of the Église Protestante d'Algérie (EPA). Following a three-day gathering with a few Christian families in March 2023, he was charged with organizing an unauthorized religious assembly. In September, the pastor was sentenced to two years in prison, along with a fine. During an appeal hearing in November, the court ruled to uphold the verdict, but reduced the Christian leader's sentence to one year.

• Church Leader Loses Appeal

  

  Pastor Youssef Ourahmane is a senior pastor who oversees a number of churches and Bible schools in Algeria, in addition to serving as the vice president of the Église Protestante d'Algérie (EPA) – an association composed of more than 45 Protestant churches.

• Church Leader Convicted in Absentia

  

  Pastor Youssef Ourahmane is the vice president of the Église Protestante d'Algérie (EPA), an association consisting of more than 45 Protestant churches. Along with this leadership role, he also serves as a senior pastor who oversees a number of churches and Bible schools.

• Christian Convert Receives Presidential Pardon

  

  Algerian Christians are rejoicing over the release of Hamid Soudad, a Christian convert who was sentenced in March 2021 to five years in prison for blasphemy (read more). Hamid was among the 8,500-plus prisoners who were released or had their sentences decreased as part of the Algerian Independence Day celebrations on July 5th.

• Only Ten Churches Remaining Open

  

  Over the past few years, numerous reports have surfaced from Algeria describing the forcible closure of church buildings and the detainment of various Christian leaders. In one instance, Pastor Salah Chalah and three other believers were charged in December 2021 with "practising non-Muslim rites without permission." To learn more about this incident, and/or to review previously published news reports, go to our country report.

• Another Church Ordered to Close

  

  Christians in Algeria are requesting prayer for another church, this time in the city of Bejaia, as authorities continue their campaign to forcibly close places of worship. The church, which consists of more than 300 members, is a long-standing affiliate of the Église Protestante d'Algérie, an officially recognized umbrella organization for Protestant churches. On April 6th, the church was informed of an order from the governor to cease worship immediately.

• Another Church Threatened with Closure

  

  Christians in Algeria are requesting prayer for leaders of a church in the village of Ait Atteli as they contend with legal action intended to enforce the closure of their place of worship. If the action is granted, this will be yet another one of the many churches affiliated with the officially recognized Protestant organization, the Église Protestante d'Algérie, forcibly closed by the authorities.

• Further Court Delays for Pastor Salah

  

  In a recent conversation between a VOMC ministry worker and Pastor Salah Chalah, an Algerian pastor who leads the country's largest Protestant church, it was reported that his trial hearing was further delayed until February 6th due to a labour strike. Pastor Salah was initially scheduled to appear in court on January 16th to face various charges, including "practising non-Muslim rites without permission" and organizing an assembly. See this page for a previous report on this case.

• Court Hearing Postponed for Accused Christians

  

  Pastor Salah Chalah is the senior pastor of the largest Protestant church in Algeria, where governmental restrictions in opposition to Christianity have escalated to an alarming degree. As a result, he was recently summoned to appear in court, along with three other Christians, and is now facing multiple charges. The court hearing was scheduled to take place on December 5th (read more). However, on January 10th, new details emerged indicating that the hearing has been postponed until January 16th.